Northampton Saints have mixed feelings about taking an enforced break after achieving their 10th win in a row, says scrum-half Tom James.
But the upcoming Six Nations means they will not play again in the league until they visit Bristol on 22 March.
“The boys are feeling it, you’re body’s going to thank you for it [the break],” James told BBC Radio Northampton.
“On the flip side, we have so much momentum at the moment you feel like if we keep going, we’re going to keep winning.
“It is what it is, we’ll have a nice break, and I’m sure we’ll be firing when we come back after that Six Nations block.”
James scored one of six tries against Newcastle although Saints were not always at their fluent best, with seven players away on England duty.
He said: “We probably didn’t move the game up the pitch how we wanted to in the first half, and that invited a bit of pressure.
“Credit to them, they stuck at it and really went after our breakdown which slowed us down a bit – but it’s still a five-point win, and we still put some good rugby out there, so lots of positives.
“I don’t think we approached it with any complacency. They’re a team desperate for a win in the league, so they were never going to let us have it [all] our own way.”
Fly-half Charlie Savala converted three of the tries, his first points since joining Saints on loan from Edinburgh in November, having had to wait for his chance because of the form of England’s Fin Smith.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. I played 20-odd games for Edinburgh last season and enjoyed my time there, then a new head coach came in and things didn’t work out,” he said.
“Fin’s been unbelievable, hasn’t he? I hope he gets an opportunity in the Six Nations.”
